1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to compensating phase errors in electromagnetic receiving systems, more specifically it relates to compensating for errors that result from differing electrical path lengths in electromagnetic receiving systems having a multi-element antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art:
In receiving systems that are used to measure a bearing angle of an intruder, it is important to maintain an accurate phase relationship between the signals from the different elements of the antenna.
Phase errors are introduced into these systems by differences in electrical path lengths between the antenna elements and other parts of the receiver system.
In the past, this problem was addressed by calibrating the antenna system after it has been installed on an aircraft; this approach added to the expense and complexity of the installation process. The problem was also addressed by connecting the antenna elements to the receiver using cables or conductors that have a precisely controlled length. Using precision length cables or conductors proved to be expensive and inconvenient. In addition to being expensive, the precision length cables or conductors required using specialized test equipment to verify cable length.